They needed to limit his minutes and undercut his confidence by keeping him up "day to day" (who says that about a prospect?) so that we couldn't see how good he is. Now that Manning looked better than half our regular D in limited minutes we had to sign some broken down guy to increase the other team's goal scoring chances because, hey, a guy who's played a handful of games in the last couple years is waaaaaaay better than any of our prospects.

Wonder how long before Coburn is back on the shelf? If he plays decent Hextall wiil be spraying body wash on the shower floors midway through the third.

Shhhhhhhhhhhh! pretend I didn't say it (tank.... adelphia)
- mayorofangrytown

Is this meant to be whispered? Thats how I read it

It's just me I think and I'm not clamouring for it, I just think they're doing it.

Don't lump anyone else with me. I hate crowds.
- mayorofangrytown

haha yeah. damn people and their tendency to congregate.

... but bad enough to get in the top ten? I don't want to pick 11-14
- mayorofangrytown

They're sitting at 7th-overall now... 6.5% chance to win the lotto.

Is this meant to be whispered? Thats how I read it
- PhillySportsGuy

yes, please. keep it down. they're doing it you know...

Matt Read has like seven OZ starts this season.
- bradleyc4

He starts 35.4 % of his shifts in the offensive zone. Only VandeVelde (33.3%) and Couturier (31.7%) start a greater percentage of their shifts outside of the OZ.

They are saying something similar in Toronto. When Lupul returns it will be between Van Riemsdyk and Ashton.
- PLindbergh31

Off the top line or out of the top 6?

haha yeah. damn people and their tendency to congregate.
- stayinthefnnet

Just making it easier for the terrorists.

psh grow up.

I had to see Talbot in one of yours.

(and a certain someone which i wont even type out for fear of going into some sort of episode)
- stayinthefnnet

Jagr?

They're sitting at 7th-overall now... 6.5% chance to win the lotto.
- Tomahawk

They'll win the last game of the season in a shootout and finish in the 8th slot when they would have finished 7th with an OTL/SOL or a regulation loss and the 7th slot will win the lottery.

They're sitting at 7th-overall now... 6.5% chance to win the lotto.
- Tomahawk

Please factor in the 10-2-3 run in the final 15 games once eliminated from playoff contention.

Matt Read has like seven OZ starts this season.
- bradleyc4

"Asian Senior Dating for Men"

What does that even mean? are the Asians or the Men Senior?

Jagr?
- PhillySportsGuy

stop. if i dont acknowledge it, it didnt happen.

POST-PRACTICE UPDATE 1:00 p.m. EST

Needing a win at home tomorrow not to halt a two-game losing skid, the Philadelphia Flyers went through a lengthy practice on Monday at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ. The club worked on everything from corner work and breakouts before switching ice surfaces and doing special teams play in the second half of practice.

With the exception of newcomer Carlo Colaiacovo entering the lineup in place of Brandon Manning on the third defensive pairing, the Flyers featured the same five-on-five personnel as in Saturday's game against the Panthers. On special teams, Brayden Schenn was back on the top power play unit with Vincent Lecavalier worked on the second unit. Look for Steve Mason to get the start tomorrow night against Edmonton.

Braydon Coburn participated fully in the first half of practice. There is a chance he could be ready by the weekend if all goes well. The veteran said he is feeling much better -- with no discomfort doing things that bothered him in his previous attempt to return to the lineup.

During his absence, Coburn said that he's noticed the difference between the game on the ice and watching it from the press box "is quite remarkable" and things look much easier from a distance. One of the few advantages of not being down at ice level is an opportunity to see plays being made.

Colaiacovo was paired with Luke Schenn at practice. The two of them played as teammates (but not regular partners) in Toronto and for Team Canada at the 2001 World Championships but Flyers head coach Craig Berube said his main thinking in putting the two together was to put the puck-moving Colaiacovo with defensive defenseman Schenn.

The coach admitted that Colaiacovo may need a few games to recover his game conditioning but said it is both the team and the player's responsibility to get him where he needs to be. The coaching staff will monitor his minutes and go accordingly. Berube said that he's always liked Colaicovo's ability to make smart plays and that he's a good communicator on the ice, which is critical to playing successfully with any partner.

Colaicovo said that his puck moving prowess has been what has kept him in the game for such a long time (despite his well-document injury history).

"The game has changed a lot in the last few years, and it's all about possessing the puck and moving it to your forwards as fast as possible," said Colaiacovo. "That's what I try to do. It's important to make that good first pass and get it to the skill guys."

On a similar note, Berube said that the ice-time upswing for Michael Del Zotto has been a product of his increasingly solid all-around play on the ice and not just a matter of the injuries in the lineup.

The coach said of Del Zotto, "He's defending well, that's the first thing. He's defending and he's moving the puck. That's all he has to do."

Asked about the Flyers' recent struggles on the penalty kill, Berube said that there hasn't been anything structurally wrong -- apart from some gapping issues in the Dallas game that allowed a pair of back-door goals by Trevor Daley -- but there have been areas of execution that need to get better. Specifically, the team needs to do a better job at clearing the zone with the puck and also in getting blocked shots.

Over the first four games, the Flyers went 9-for-10 on the penalty kill. In the seven games since then, the club has gone 16-for-23 (69.56 percent). On the power play, the club is in a 1-for-19 spell over the last six games. Berube said he is not concerned about the power play slump beyond the need to make sure the personnel is not getting too fancy with the puck and gets back to shooting the puck instead of trying to pass it into the net.

Berube was also asked about the offensive struggles of Matt Read this season. The coach said that he wants Read to do a better job at getting himself into the "dirty areas" and getting into a more of a shooting mentality. Berube said that both Read and Couturier sometimes get so focused on the checking aspects of the game, that they do not get themselves into shooting lanes when the opportunity presents itself at the other end.

Flyers forward R.J. Umberger said that, going into the Florida game, the club tried (unsuccessfully) to be focused on playing a patient game against the defensively oriented Panthers team. Going up against Edmonton, the focus is on playing a disciplined two-way game and not getting into a track meet of trading chances back and forth.

"They can put six goals up on you pretty quick if you try to play too wide open against them," said Umberger.

These were the Flyers lines and defense pairings:

12 Michael Raffl - 28 Claude Giroux - 93 Jakub Voracek
18 R.J. Umberger - 40 Vincent Lecavalier - 17 Wayne Simmonds
10 Brayden Schenn - 14 Sean Couturier - 24 Matt Read
36 Zac Rinaldo - 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare - 76 Chris VandeVelde

Extra forwards: Blair Jones, Jason Akeson

8 Nicklas Grossmann - 32 Mark Streit
15 Michael Del Zotto - 55 Nick Schultz
26 Carlo Colaiacovo - 22 Luke Schenn

Extra defenseman: Brandon Manning (skated with rehabbing Braydon Coburn)

35 Steve Mason (expected starter)
29 Ray Emery

1st Power Play Unit: B. Schenn - Giroux - Simmonds - Streit - Voracek
2nd Power Play Unit: Read - Couturier - Lecavalier - Del Zotto - Schultz
- bmeltzer

wait wut

Yeah. Flyers wouldn't trade Read straight up for a player with the upside of Read. I think Kapanen has more upside, but like you said, he's just a prospect. He could end up being a bust.
- PhillySportsGuy

Kapanen wont be a bust, but he may not even become as good as Read.

Quick compare - recent Pens vs Flyers drafts :

02 - Pens got Maatta @ 22, but hasty pick @ 7 with Pouliot while passing on players like Trouba, Forsberg, Ceci , Teravainen, etc
02 - Flyers got Laughton, Ghost, Stolarz, Leier

03 - bust year for Pens; traded 1st rnd pick to rent Iginla, then got swept by Bruins
03 - Flyers got Morin and Hagg

04 - Pens get Kapanen @ 22nd pick, thats it
04 - Flyers got Sanheim, Aub-Kubel, Lindblom, Friedman, PitBull

I'm glad MDZ has established himself in Coburn's absence. When Amac and Coburn return, it will be between Schenn and Schultz.
- PhillySportsGuy

Trade Luke! Get whatever you can for him. Schultz is doing a better job

"Asian Senior Dating for Men"

What does that even mean? are the Asians or the Men Senior?
- mayorofangrytown

Based on your search history, they know you're old and have an asian fetish

Trade Luke! Get whatever you can for him. Schultz is doing a better job
- 3flyerkids

No one wants Luke

Based on your search history, they know you're old and have an asian fetish
- PhillySportsGuy

lol

Matt Read has like seven OZ starts this season.
- bradleyc4

source?

wait wut
- -davies-

10 games in '08-'09 counts as teammates

No one wants Luke
- PhillySportsGuy

If you dont have proof this is smoke in mirrors.

source?
- JAKEw1234

my eyes

that's a viable source in this section of the internet

Kapanen wont be a bust, but he may not even become as good as Read.

Quick compare - recent Pens vs Flyers drafts :

02 - Pens got Maatta @ 22, but hasty pick @ 7 with Pouliot while passing on players like Trouba, Forsberg, Ceci , Teravainen, etc
02 - Flyers got Laughton, Ghost, Stolarz, Leier

03 - bust year for Pens; traded 1st rnd pick to rent Iginla, then got swept by Bruins
03 - Flyers got Morin and Hagg

04 - Pens get Kapanen @ 22nd pick, thats it
04 - Flyers got Sanheim, Aub-Kubel, Lindblom, Friedman, PitBull
- MrBigglesworth

given the roster makeup, forsberg over pouliot at 8 would look pretty good right now

10 games in '08-'09 counts as teammates
- bradleyc4

perhaps it was the world championships 2001 that i found strange considering schenn would have been 11 years old